Blog of Darryl Drover

Thy Kingdom Come....

August 29, 2017 @ 11:20pm

Considering Jesus spent just thirty-three or so years on earth, and only three of those in active ministry should cause us to pay close attention to his teachings during this time. One question people often wonder is, what did he speak about or teach during that time?

There may be no other subject more frequently addressed then the kingdom of God. An incredible 61 separate occasions the term is used in the gospels of Matthew, Mark & Luke and as many as 85 if we count parallel references.

So why was this so important?

Well firstly, to the first century Jews, to whom Christ had come from among, they were a people waiting in desperate anticipation for a Messiah, a “coming King” who would establish a kingdom for his people (Jews) and deliver them from Roman rule.

Their scope was limited to an earthly or political kingdom. A kingdom governed by but also limited to boundaries, economics and military might.

Through the teachings of Jesus, we discover that the kingdom of God supersedes these earthly concerns and focuses on God’s governance of the internal; a moral aspect. The Kingdom of God promotes things such as “being merciful” (Matthew 5:7) and “being pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8).

Embedded in, what many of us know as the Lord’s prayer are the words “thy kingdom come” and for most we consider those words to be future focused. To a large extent, they are as we see in scripture that the full promise of the kingdom of God has yet to be realized. However, by living the type of selfless, God-honoring life that Christ encourages us to live throughout his teachings; we are in fact representing his future kingdom here in the present day.

Christ’s kingdom is both here and not yet fully here, but more importantly, you and I can decide to be a part of it today so that we enjoy its fullness throughout eternity.